Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

I purchased my Dell Venue 8 7840 this past March. Great tablet, but after 6 months of normal use, it became more and more difficult to charge. For example, after plugging it in and leaving it on my nightstand, if I picked up the tablet to check the charge level it would stop charging - I would have to unplug and replug it in to get it going again. This week, it stopped charging at all - I can plug it in and nothing happens. Now, though, when I pull the plug out, it feels like something is loose inside and being pulled slightly by the plug as I pull it out.

I called customer service and explained my issue. I was told that a loose charging port is "user inflicted damage" and thus not covered by warranty, and that I'd have to call another number on Monday to speak to someone about paying for an "out of warranty" repair.

I don't understand how a charging port that breaks after 6 months of normal charging (and considering I only need to charge 2-3 times a week, that's what...100 charges or so?) isn't covered under the hardware warranty. I've had 4 smart phones, and 5 tablets (not counting my wife's) and have never had a charging port break like this.

I'm not sure if anyone on this message board has any advice. I'm really frustrated.

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

I am having the exact same issue. I have never had a port as erratic as the one on this model. It has finally stopped charging completely. I need an address to send it to to be fixed, or someone to get in touch with me. I am NOT playing games with the warranty departments, I have spent hours on the phone regarding a previous device, never again. I will stop paying for this and never buy another Dell again if this isnt resolved.

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Mine quit working, when I called I was told same thing, to call the other number. I re read my purchase agreement, which had a 1 year hardware warranty. Dell did fi it, but, 5 months later it wont charge properly. It has been charging since 7:30 am (16 hours) and it is still only 94%

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Just spent an hour being transferred back and forth between the "warranty department" and the "out-of-warranty repair" department.

The Warranty Department keeps telling me that the charging port breaking after 6 months is "normal wear-and-tear" and not covered by warranty. The Out-Of-Warranty Department keeps telling me that my issue should totally be covered by warranty. They keep transferring me back to each other. Got disconnected 3 times and had to call back. No one will help me, they just keep sending me to the other department. What do I do?

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Dell has had such issue with this tablet's charging/data port, I imagine that the warranty support staff is trying to do whatever it can to avoid claims. Yes, it's a user issue if the port's pins have been jammed down by someone trying to push in a plug the wrong way; but no, if this otherwise is a parts issue. And how could the warranty people even know without looking at the device?

As noted above, unless this was a user-error issue, you're covered by warranty and should pursue, forcibly. The next call, ask nicely, and forcibly, to have the issue escalated to the supervisor. That typically fixes these front-line-person issues for me.

And no, a charging port breaking down of its own accord in under 6 months is not "normal wear-and-tear." So Dell is making tablets, now, that need to be replaced in 6 months? Right.

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Update: My wife decided to make an attempt while I was at work today. After a few transfers similar to my own on Monday, she was finally able to get to a supervisor, and then a "director" at the warranty department.

It seems like the call center staff is trained to consider a broken charging port as similar to a broken screen, as in "almost certainly due to the customer breaking it". Our tablet was not mishandled in the slightest, but I don't think the "front-line" people are allowed to believe that. The "director" did listen, thankfully, and we received an email with a return code and address to mail the tablet in. Hopefully, they'll see that there's something wrong with the port itself, and see for themselves that the pins were not forced or bent at all.

Thanks for the feedback, Daniel and Mike. Mike, were there many issues with the charging port for this model? That's interesting to know. I was definitely bewildered with them telling me that the charging port breaking in 6 months of normal use was in any way "normal".

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Were there ever issues with the port! You should read the many posts here from 2 years ago, getting to the level of threatening lawsuits.

The issue seems to have come about because the port used on the tablet is a square-ish oval shape rather than a traditional trapezoidal shape matching the USB plug. The result being that some users tried inserting the plug upside down (the contours of the port not preventing this), damaging the pins in the port.

There's been quite a bit of debate over why Dell used the problematic port. Some people pointed to the specs set by an industry group, saying that Dell was required by the standards to use this port.

As a result of the port issue, it appeared that many people were damaging their ports and filing warranty claims, which has resulted in the customer service warranty response you've experienced. Fair--but of course, still sad and unfortunate--for those who created the issue themselves due to the unfortunate port choice, but unfair to people like you. And in my experience, the power port is a weak link in any PC, with manufacturers not strengthening it enough--as witnessed by another PC I have with a loose power port, wobbling around in the case.

Personally, I saw the issue immediately with the Dell tablet and avoided it by purchasing a 4" lead which I leave plugged into the port, and then I plug my power cable or accessories into that. One can also find repair services on eBay which will repair or just replace the port using the more traditional trapezoidal port, for a relatively fair price (starting at $30 or so, return shipping included).

Congratulations--and thanks, on behalf of the consumer world--to you and your wife for persevering! I hope it all works out for you!

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

Of course, reading those other accounts made me second-guess myself. So, before taping up the package to mail to Dell, I double checked the charging port. I didn't remember ever being confused as to which way to insert the plug and, sure enough, the port sure looks to me like a typical trapezoidal port just the same on my other devices. I even held up my charging cord to see if it had room to fit backwards, and the wide part of the cord jack was too wide to go past the metal edge of the port. There was no way to insert it backwards if I even tried. Perhaps mine was manufactured at later date with a different port?

In any case, the pin inside is not bent at all, so hopefully Dell will easily see that this is not user damage and fix it up for me without further problem.

RE: Venue 8 7840 Charging Issues

I am having the exact same issue. I have never had a port as erratic as the one on this model. It has finally stopped charging completely. I need an address to send it to to be fixed, or someone to get in touch with me. I am NOT playing games with the warranty departments, I have spent hours on the phone regarding a previous device, never again. I will stop paying for this and never buy another Dell again if this isnt resolved.